Former Likud Member Leli Deri Joins Ofer Winter Ahead of New Party Launch

Ofer Winter, a retired IDF brigadier general, is preparing to announce the formation of a new political party. Among the potential candidates being considered to join him is Leli Deri, a resident of the West Bank settlement of Eli and a former participant in the Likud primaries. In recent years, Deri has become a prominent voice on the issue of ultra-Orthodox military conscription, especially following the death of her son, Saadia Deri, in combat in the Gaza Strip.

Deri has publicly opposed the exemption law for ultra-Orthodox conscription promoted by the current coalition and has proposed a plan advocating broader conscription of Haredim, with limited quotas for Torah scholars. Currently, she is a member of the "Maaminim" movement, which seeks to offer the religious Zionist public an alternative political representation to that of the Religious Zionism party.

Her potential partnership with Winter signals an ambition to create a political list that combines a proactive security stance with structured positions on social issues, equal burden-sharing, and Jewish identity. This move reflects Winter's strategy to appeal to additional voter segments ahead of the upcoming elections.